Dr. Oz's Top 5 Anti-Aging Tips

They say it happens to the best of us, and now it has happened to me: I just turned 40. I rocked my 30s and fully expect my 40s to be even more productive, exciting and fun. And, why wouldn’t they be? I’m more confident, experienced and fulfilled than ever before. So, all-in-all, I plan on embracing my 40s.

There is one little wrinkle in my plan, however. OK, make that a few wrinkles. You see, those fine lines around my eyes aren't looking so fine any more and parts of body are feeling less springy and a bit droopier. (After an energetic ascent up Mount Kilimanjaro last year, the descent was so hard on my knees I practically hobbled down.)

What's a newly anointed 40-year-old to do? I decided it's time to start caring for myself in ways better suited to a woman of my "advanced" years so I asked an expert for advice. Who did I ask? Much like my hike up the African mountain, I went straight to the top: Dr. Mehmet Oz. Here are his top anti-aging tips he shared with me.

Dr. Oz's Top 5 Anti-Aging Tips:

1.Aching knees? Grab the mini plunger you have stored under your sink to suction the stress out of the knee. It can also be used on your arms and back. Follow up with Biofreeze cream, which soothes muscle tensions.

2.Metabolism slowing down? Keep a KIND Bar on hand to hold you over between meals. This prevents overeating when you do enjoy a meal. Additionally, chewing sugar-free gum deters from mindless eating. Gum burns calories just because you are chewing.

3.Painful intercourse? There are three easy solutions to cure vaginal dryness, which is often the culprit of discomfort during sex. Estrogen cream, which can be used once a week, lubricates the vagina and restores the moisture and elasticity that is often lost after age 40. Extra-virgin olive oil, used on the skin between the vagina and anus (called the perineum), masks dryness that causes tears and burning. Water-based lubricant, which can be used inside the vagina during intercourse, makes for a more pleasurable experience for both partners and does not cause infection.

4.Wrinkles? Pay close attention to the ingredients in products to make sure that they are legitimate. The two most important ingredients are peptides, which smooth wrinkles and build collagen over time, and retinol, especially the slow-release form, which also reduces wrinkles without causing irritation or inflammation.

5.Sagging skin? Tighten up by doing weight training two times per week. Squats can tighten the thighs and buttocks, which are problem areas for most women.

Want more anti-aging tips from Dr. Oz? On this coming Monday's (Monday, November 8th) episode of The Dr. Oz Show, Dr. Oz delves into the world of women over 40, revealing his "Over 40 Survival Kit." He'll be discussing everything from anti-aging concerns to sex solutions so tune-in or set your DVR – I know I will!

by Gwynn Cassidy

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5 DIY Facial Masks Good Enough to Eat

Just because you're on a budget doesn’t mean you can't treat yourself to spa-status facials. Veg out by yourself or invite the girls over, and mix up these masks from ingredients you already have on hand!

For smaller pores and tighter skin: What better way to get rid of that leftover holiday eggnog than to pamper yourself with it?! Teen Vogue featured this eggnog-based facial mask as an effortless skin-saving treatment. It tightens, hydrates, cleanses and removes dead skin in just 10 minutes. Simply mix the ingredients together, apply, let sit for alloted time and rinse!

Ingredients:

1/2 packet of oatmeal

3/4 cup of Egg Nog

1/2 tsp of Flax Seed Oil

A couple of dashes of clove powder

To Calm Oily Skin: Not a big fan of breakfast? Put all those unused ingredients to good use with Marie Claire's Breakfast Mask. The oatmeal and egg yolk fight oily skin, while the honey and olive oil moisturize. Mix ingredients together, apply and leave on for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water, dry and follow with your usual moisturizer.

Ingredients:

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp olive oil

½ cup oatmeal

To treat breakouts: This simple recipe for a Baking Soda & Orange Juice Mask featured on BeautyBets.com contains only two common kitchen ingredients! While the baking soda exfoliates the skin and fights breakouts, the orange juice tightens pores and brightens your complexion. Combine the ingredients and apply a thin layer to your face and neck. Let sit for 20 minutes (make sure you don't move your face during this time—movement will cause the mask to flake). Rinse, dry and apply moisturizer!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp pure orange juice

1 tbsp baking soda

For Dry Skin: Apparently food.com doesn’t just have recipes for delicious meals! Cook up their moisturizing Cucumber Avocado Facial Cooling Mask if you have dry skin. To make, combine all ingredients in a blender until they've reached a pasty consistency. Apply in circular upward motions to your face and neck, and let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse with warm water followed by cold water.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped cucumber

1/2 cup chopped avocado

1 egg white

2 teaspoons powdered milk

To Brighten Skin: Not only does Whole Living's DIY Skin-Brightening Mask leave you with a healthy glow, but it also fights hyperpigmentation (good-bye sunspots!) by stimulating circulation and exfoliating the skin. Blend ingredients in a food processer until you reach a smooth consistency. Apply and leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse with cool water, dry and apply your usual moisturizer.

Note: The tingly sensation you'll get from this mask is due to the alpha-hydroxy acids and papain (an enzyme that breaks up dead skin cells) present in unripe papaya. If you have sensitive skin, use ripe papaya instead, which contains less papain.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unripe papaya, diced

1 teaspoon plain yogurt

1 teaspoon honey

Have you made any of these masks at home? Do you have any DIY facial mask recipes? Share them below!

by: Kristina Kawas

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Foods Rich in Antioxidants for Healthy Aging

Although magazine covers and "miracle" cosmetics packages all proclaim the anti-aging secrets they contain, as long as we wake up each morning, getting older is an unstoppable fact.

Perhaps a better and more attainable goal than "anti-aging" is "healthy aging"—giving our bodies and spirits what they need to reduce the risks of physical or mental decline as our 30s become our 40s, then into our 50s, 60s, and so on.

Instead of dreaming about turning back the clock, you can help keep your body strong by equipping it with the biological equivalent of fresh batteries. "Why do you have to fight against aging if you have healthy aging?" asks Barbara Shukitt-Hale, PhD, a research psychologist and behavioral neuroscientist at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. That's not just a theoretical question, no matter what your current age.

Reducing risk, one bite at a time

Oxidative stress is the cumulative, day-to-day assault our cells endure. The longer we live, the more oxidative stress our bodies experience. Dr. Shukitt-Hale and her colleagues have studied several foods that appear to repair the toll this stress takes and even protect against further damage. The foods studied also increase the number of brain cells we have and improve their functioning.

We can use such help. "As we age, our bodies are less able to deal with the oxidative stress we encounter," Dr. Shukitt-Hale says. We also become more sensitive to inflammatory responses in our central nervous systems.

While some foods have been shown to support greater health, energy and mental strength in aging bodies, the biological mechanisms that produce those results aren't fully understood yet. Many researchers believe the beneficial effects are created by the variety of nutritional components in real food, working in combination.

That means you should look in the produce aisles, not the drug aisles, to find what you need. "Very few disease processes or healthy outcomes are attained through taking vitamin supplements," says Martha Clare Morris, ScD, director of the Center of Nutrition and Aging at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago. She cites bone loss and vitamin B12 deficiency as among the few conditions that current research shows can be improved with supplements.

By contrast, when vitamins and other compounds are obtained by eating certain foods, there are big benefits. "We think eating fresh fruit or vegetables, even frozen, is better than taking supplements, because supplements don't have all the compounds," Dr. Shukitt-Hale says. In her research lab, "we've broken down foods into families of compounds, and the individual families aren't as effective" as when they function together.

Age-defying foods

You know that fruits, vegetables, whole grains and such are good for you, but some foods have been shown to be stand-outs for lowering problems linked to aging. You may want to include more of these on your shopping list:

"Brainberries": That's the nickname Dr. Shukitt-Hale and coauthor James A. Joseph, PhD, gave to blueberries and their cousins—such as blackberries, cranberries and strawberries. Berry fruits are rich in antioxidant polyphenolic compounds that protect against the age-related deterioration of cognitive and motor functions. Eating about a cup of berries a day—fresh or frozen—reduces oxidative stress (hence the term "antioxidants"), lowers inflammation and improves brain cell signaling.

Blueberries top the list of beneficial berries, but if your tastes are a bit more eclectic—arctic bramble berries, anyone?—most berry fruits carry a lot of nutritional power for their size. You may want to read the label closely: A USDA study of blueberries grown in New Jersey showed that those cultivated organically for commercial sale had higher levels of phytonutrients (beneficial compounds) than did the berries grown under conventional methods.

Red peppers, oranges, pine nuts, roasted sunflower seeds, safflower oil: Vegetables and fruits that are high in vitamin C help prevent skin appearance changes related to aging. Nuts and oils with high amounts of linoleic acid provide similar defense. Regardless of age, sun exposure or other factors, women who eat more foods that are rich in vitamin C and linoleic acid have fewer wrinkles, less skin dryness and less atrophy—the gradual thinning of skin layers.

Cocoa: It's not just for kids anymore! You may have switched to green tea for its antioxidant benefits, but cocoa is actually higher in the powerful phenolic phytochemicals that fight oxidative damage. Indeed, cocoa leads the list for antioxidant capacity—ahead of red wine, green tea and black tea. Make it with nonfat milk and you'll help strengthen your bones as well.

Spinach, kale, collards: Here's another reason to eat more vegetables: high vegetable consumption produces a slower rate of cognitive decline with age. Dr. Morris and her colleagues looked at more than 3,700 people aged 65 or older and found that those who ate about three to four daily servings of vegetables—particularly leafy greens—had much less decline in memory, recall and other mental functions than did those who ate less than one serving of veggies per day.

Walnuts: These popular nuts enabled aged rats to improve motor performance (such as walking on a plank) and thinking skills. Because of these results, researchers believe walnuts look very promising for strengthening cognition.

Fish: It's been called "brain food" for decades, but now there's evidence that fish helps keep your mental abilities strong while you age. Compared with people who ate less than one fish meal per week, those who ate fish once weekly or more often showed a slower rate of age-related cognitive decline.

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The Skinny on Winter Dryness

Boots? Check! Parka? Check! Insulated gloves? Check!

Those of us living in cold climates have a mental checklist we run through to protect our bodies before stepping outside in winter. Yet the season brings challenges in mild zones as well. Humidity drops in wintertime, and the heating systems of our homes and workplaces suck up what little moisture is in the air.

You can often feel that it's winter, even when your body is warm enough. That's because when the humidity level drops below 60 percent (either indoors or outside), your skin starts losing the moisture it needs to stay comfortable. You feel as if you're shrinking—hands tighten, face stiffens, feet crack, legs and arms get dull or ashy—and you might feel relief only when standing in a hot shower.

So the answer to winter skin problems must be to take longer, hotter showers, right? Of course, that was a trick question: in winter, your showers should be short and lukewarm, and you should only wash the vital spots (you know what they are) on a daily basis unless you've been mucking in a horse barn all day.

More tips to end winter skin woes:

•To preserve skin oils, use very mild soaps (not deodorant or scented types) or non-soap bars or gels along with warm water.

•After a brief (5 to 10 minutes only) shower, pat yourself dry. Enthusiastic towel drying will leave your skin drier than it was before the shower, as will letting water just evaporate off of you.

•Moisturize your body right after your shower to seal in water, and repeat throughout the day. Best moisturizers are ointments, such as petroleum jelly (use a little and rub in well), and even vegetable shortening. Next most effective are oil moisturizers, including baby oil and mineral oil. Cream moisturizers come next, with lotions being the least effective.

•For faces, use a moisturizer with sunscreen; for lips, petroleum jelly or lip balm. You may need a heavier moisturizer than you use in the summer.

•Protect your hands by moisturizing them after each hand washing and wearing rubber gloves when immersing them in water.

•Electric blankets may remove skin moisture, so switch to more natural coverings. Avoid heavy clothing made from wool and other rough fabrics, which can irritate your skin.

•The sun still shines in winter. It's especially harsh in snow, which reflects as much as 80 percent of harmful rays, and in higher altitudes, which increase burn risk. Wear sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays, with an SPF of at least 30. For mountain sports, a face mask and goggles protect your skin from drying wind and frostbite.

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Beat the Heat: 7 Hot Tips for Supple Summer Skin

The key to healthy skin lies beyond which soap you use. It depends on what you eat, whether you exercise, how much stress you are under and even the kind of environment in which you live and work. Summer is particularly harsh on skin so consider these seven tips for helping your skin survive the harsh rays of summer:

1. Take advantage of all the summer fruits and vegetables and eat a varied and nutritious diet. Studies show that diets high in saturated fat, including meat, butter and full-fat dairy, as well as soft drinks, cakes and pastries increased the likelihood of skin wrinkling. Follow a diet high in vitamin A, E and C and essential fatty acids.

2. Don't forget to wash down your nutritious foods with a big glass of water. In fact, aim for at least eight to 10 glasses of water a day for optimum skin results.

3. Get out in the warm weather and exercise! Exercise flushes impurities out of your skin and promotes production of sebum, or oil, you skin's natural moisturizer and enhances blood flow to the skin.

4. Here's another reason to stop smoking...smoking constricts blood vessels, reducing blood flow to the skin. It also depletes levels of valuable antioxidant vitamins like vitamin A, increasing damage to the elasticity of the skin.

5. Of course, the greatest damage to your skin occurs from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. When it comes to sunscreen, the higher the SPF, the better. Few people use sunscreen the right way — apply a full ounce every couple of hours, more if you've been swimming or sweating.

6. Think a tanning bed is safer than a beach tan? Think again. The reality is there's no safe thing as a safe tan. UVA rays in tanning booths not only inflict damage similar to sunlight, but they are up to 20 times more intense than natural sunlight.

7. There's a very strong mind/body connection that exists between our emotions and our skin health. The stress in your life turns up on your face. Relaxation techniques, biofeedback and breathing training can help you cope better with life stresses and reduce their effects on your skin.

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Protecting Your Skin from the Sun

Remember when we thought slathering on baby oil to promote tanning was doing something good for our skin?

These days, a dizzying number of sunscreens and sunblocks cram stores' shelves, promising protection from the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays. If you don't have a PhD in chemistry, reading and understanding the ingredients

lists on those bottles is nearly impossible.

Yet shielding your body from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) light is vital, in any weather or season. Both types of UV rays—UVA and UVB—are invisible and damaging, causing sunburn, premature aging and skin cancer. Cloudy days are no protection, since UV rays penetrate clouds. And with the earth's ozone layer thinning, solar radiation is increasing. So are all types of skin cancer, including the most serious—malignant melanoma.

Still, many of us think about using sunscreen only when we're heading out to the beach or pool. Even then, the average U.S. adult uses less than one bottle a year. That's a mistake. UV rays do their damage anytime. They can pass through window glass or reflect off concrete and snow as well as sand and water. Artificial sources of UV light, as in tanning booths, are also dangerous.

"The more sun you get, the more likely you are to get damage and potentially increase the development of melanoma and skin cancer," says Diane S. Berson, MD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Cornell University Weill Medical College in New York City. "We recommend that people wear sun protection every day."

Do different people get more or less damage?

The lighter your skin, the more quickly you'll burn. But darker-skinned people, who tend to tan rather than burn, are still getting UV-caused damage.

You're likely to be more sensitive to UV rays if you:

•Have many moles or freckles on your skin

•Have a family history of skin cancer

•Live or vacation at high altitudes, where UV radiation increases

•Have autoimmune diseases such as lupus or have had an organ transplant

•Take oral contraceptives, some antibiotics, naproxen sodium or certain other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, diuretics or tricyclic antidepressants (This is only a partial list of drugs that can increase the sun sensitivity of your skin and eyes. Check out all your medications with your pharmacist or health care professional.)

Choosing the right sunscreen

While there are numerous sunscreen formulations, choose only those that are labeled "broad-spectrum." This means they block both UVA and UVB rays. Many sunscreens only block UVB. To get UVA protection as well, look for avobenzone (Parsol 1789) or oxybenzone as ingredients.

There's one catch, however, Dr. Berson points out: Avobenzone degrades in sunlight, so you have to re-apply it frequently. Some (but not all) Neutrogena brand sunscreens use a special technology called Helioplex™ to overcome this problem. Products containing mexoryl, a UVA filter that helps stabilize avobenzone, are sold in Canada, Europe and elsewhere, but the ingredient has not yet been approved for use in the U.S.

Don't rely solely on SPF (sun protection factor) numbers to guide you. SPF only measures UVB protection. Choose at least SPF 15, but higher is better, especially since most people don't use as much sunscreen as they should or re-apply it frequently enough. What's more, research shows that products often give less protection in sunlight than their SPF numbers suggest. Even if the SPF 30 or 45 costs a bit more, it's worth the extra expense.

You may prefer using a sunblock to a sunscreen. Sunblocks provide a physical barrier between your skin and both UVA and UVB rays, but may feel heavier. Dr. Berson recommends sunblocks containing zinc oxide or titanium oxide.

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Get Beautiful Glowing Skin

Get Beautiful Glowing Skin

Ever noticed how whatever is going on in our life seems to show on our face? If we're stressed, we can expect acne and dark circles under our eyes. If we're dehydrated, our skin looks dry and flaky. If we're sick, our face appears pale. Eat or drink too much and we wake up with puffy skin. But get a stretch of feeling great, exercising, eating right, and we positively glow with health.

Well, there's a reason for that. Our skin is our body's largest organ-an average of 21 square feet, to be exact. Whatever goes on in the inside shows up on the outside.

Take smoking, for instance. Studies find that smoking prematurely ages skin by disrupting your body's natural process of breaking down old skin and replacing it with fresh skin. Smoking also triples your risk of squamous cell skin cancer (not to mention numerous other cancers).

Stress can also negatively affect your face (and the rest of the body). But the opposite is also true. What you eat and how you live your life can lead to smoother, healthier skin. Overall, your best bet for your skin is also what's best for overall health: a low-fat, high-fiber diet filled with fruits, vegetables and whole grains, plenty of water, regular exercise and enough sleep every night (not just on weekends). More specifically, here's what the science shows:

•Fats. Several studies find that the amount of poly- and monounsaturated fats, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, you get in your diet may affect the amount of sun and aging damage your skin experiences. The best source of omega-3s? Cold-water fish, such as salmon, mackerel and tuna. For healthy mono fats, we recommend olive oil and nuts.

•Tea. To understand the effect of green tea on skin health, you first need to understand what causes aging. We now know that skin aging is mainly the result of free radical damage to cell walls and other cell structures. Sun exposure and cigarette smoking contribute to the production of these free radicals. Antioxidants, on the other hand, are molecules that neutralize these free radicals. One good source is any type of tea. One Arizona study, for instance, found that the more black tea people drank (particularly tea with lemon) the less likely they were to develop squamous cell skin cancer.

•Fruits, vegetables and fish. You know these foods are good for you for any number of reasons. But did you know they may prevent wrinkling? When researchers from Monash University in Australia studied the diets of 453 people aged 70 and older from Australia, Greece and Sweden to see if there was any correlation between what they ate and the amount of wrinkles on their skin, they found those who ate the most fruits, vegetables and fish had the least amount of wrinkles. Conversely, the researchers found, foods high in saturated fat, including meat, butter and full-fat dairy, as well as soft drinks, cakes and pastries, and potatoes, increased the likelihood of skin wrinkling.

•Exercise. Regular exercise maintains healthy circulation and blood flow throughout your body, including your skin. If you're exercising outdoors, though, remember to wear a sunscreen on your face that protects against UVA and UVB rays, or a moisturizer with sunscreen protection.

•Vitamins. Although it's always best to get what you need from food, several studies attest to the skin-protecting effects of supplements containing the antioxidant vitamins E and C.

•Other nutrients. Other studies suggest that consumption of borage oil (high in omega-3 fatty acids), garlic and ginkgo biloba may also protect skin from the detrimental effects of sunlight and free radicals.

10 Foods to Eat for Your Face :

1.Salmon

2.Green Tea

3.Olive oil and olives

4.Sardines

5.Brazil nuts

6.Blueberries

7.Flaxseeds

8.Non-fat dairy products

9.Canola oil

10.Avocados

by: healthywomen.org

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Healthy Skin Dos and Don'ts

The key to healthy skin lies beyond which soap you use. It depends on what you eat, whether you exercise, how much stress you're under and even the kind of environment in which you live and work.

All of these things affect how fast your skin ages, and thus how it will look, by influencing certain processes that lead to oxidation and inflammation. Sounds complicated, but it really is not.

Basically, complex chemical processes in your body produce unstable molecules called free radicals. Think of them as Skin Enemy No. 1. Left to their own devices, they go on to damage otherwise healthy cells in a process called oxidation. This is the same process that turns an apple brown or changes a copper roof from reddish gold to blue-green, so you can just imagine the way it can affect your skin. Sun, smoking, air pollution and poor diet all speed production of these free radicals.

Luckily, your body also produces antioxidants, molecules whose job it is to sweep up those free radicals before they can do any serious harm. How you take care of yourself—including what you eat—can increase production of these valuable molecules, literally saving your skin.

Nutrition and Your skin

Women have been using foods as facial treatments for centuries, making masks of egg whites and olive oil, putting cucumbers over their eyes to reduce swelling. But did you know that the food you put in your mouth can affect the health of your skin more than anything you could put on your face?

Although studies find certain individual foods can help you maintain healthy skin, your overall diet—as well as your weight—matters most. For instance, if you're overweight and/or you eat a diet high in processed foods, including white bread, cookies, ice cream and packaged dinners, and low in fiber and fresh fruits and vegetables, you have a higher risk of developing a condition called insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes.

In this condition, insulin, a hormone that "unlocks" the cell so glucose, or fuel, can get in, doesn't work very well. Thus, all this glucose builds up in your bloodstream instead of disappearing into cells where it's supposed to go. This, in turn, damages skin. How? By reacting with the protein fiber network (i.e., collagen and other proteins) that make skin resilient. This reaction creates harmful waste products called advanced glycosylation endproducts, or AGEs, those free radicals mentioned earlier. Fibers stiffen, skin loses it elasticity and you become more vulnerable to wrinkling, sagging and damage from ultraviolet (UV) light.

But eat a varied and nutritious diet, and it's amazing what can happen to your skin. In one study, researchers from Monash University in Australia found people who ate the most fruits, vegetables and fish had the least amount of wrinkles. However, the researchers found, diets high in saturated fat, including meat, butter and full-fat dairy, as well as soft drinks, cakes, pastries and potatoes (called "high-glycemic" foods), increased the likelihood of skin wrinkling. Coincidentally, these high-glycemic foods are also implicated in insulin resistance.

So, if you want to follow a skin-healthy diet, make sure you pack your diet full of these nutrients:

Vitamins E and C. Studies find these vitamins can help protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun, particularly in supplement form. Meanwhile, vitamin C is a valuable nutrient in collagen synthesis, the protein that helps hold skin together and give it tone. If you do supplement, don't exceed 400 IU of vitamin E because it could increase the risk of bleeding. Best food sources: vegetable oils, margarine, eggs, fish, whole-grain cereals and dried beans for vitamin E; citrus fruits, berries, potatoes, tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers and leafy green vegetables for vitamin C.

Essential fatty acids. Several studies find that the amount of poly- and monounsaturated fats, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, in your diet can minimize sun and aging damage to your skin. Best food sources: cold-water fish, such as salmon, mackerel and tuna. For healthy mono fats, stick with olive oil and nuts.

Tea. Tea, particularly green tea, is an excellent source of antioxidants called polyphenols. That may be why one Arizona study found that the more hot tea people drank (particularly tea with lemon) the less likely they were to develop squamous cell skin cancer.

Vitamin A. Another powerful antioxidant, vitamin A forms the basis for a slew of pharmaceutical and over-the-counter skin products that contain retinoids. One study found a strong connection between vitamin A levels in the blood (an indicator of the amount in the diet) and skin dryness; the more vitamin A, the moister the skin. You shouldn't supplement with vitamin A, and it's hard to get enough via food, but it's easy to get vitamin A's precursor—beta-carotene—which is converted to vitamin A in your intestine. Best food sources: orange, red and yellow fruits; vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and cantaloupe; and green leafy vegetables such as spinach and broccoli.

by:healthywomen.org

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The Hottest Short Hairstyles For Women In 2011

Whether you are into short hair styles or long, it is every girls dream to be a summer diva dressed in the latest fashion trends. However, no fashion trend is truly stylish without the cutest hairstyle ever to bring out your natural beauty and personality. This summer it seems that every fashion forward girl is going short and sassy with the hottest short hairstyles for women in 2011. We have three words of fashion advice for you this year: layers, bobs, and pixies.

The Layers

Layered hairstyles look good on ladies of all ages with any face shape. These styles work great with any hair length, add volume to thin hair, and are easy to manage, taking hardly any time at all to style and be out the door.

When layers are added to the top and sides of a short hairstyle, they add texture and become one of the trendiest short hairstyles being worn by women all over the world at this time.

The Pixie Cut

Mia Farrow popularized the pixie do in the 60s. This summer, pixie styles have been popping up everywhere in Hollywood on the most well known singers and actresses. A few examples of celebrities include Emma Watson, Michelle Williams, Ginnifer Goodwin, Carey Mulligan, Halle Berry and most recently Kate Winslet.

Alexa Chung is known for her messy pixie cut which has got to be the cutest and carefree pixie of all in my opinion. But then again, everything about Alexa is pretty much carefree. The lady is just naturally beautiful and possesses a very sleek look at all times without much effort.

Pixies work best with thick, wavy hair, but straight hair works as well. This style looks the best on heart, oval, and square faces. However, if you have a round facial shape, you might want to avoid this type of cut.

The Bob Cut

The bob is back and has girls raving, but for the 2011 trendiest hairstyle it is worn slightly longer instead of rounded and with the fringed bangs. The whole look is more retro-inspired than before and sets off a softer look.

One of the most popular bob hair styles is The Posh. Victoria Beckham is credited for popularizing this trendy hairstyle and many ladies around the world are copying her with short to medium bob hairstyles. Ask any hairstylist what the most requested hairstyle is in 2011 and she will tell you, the posh. So grab those rat tail combs ladies, it is time to do, "The Posh".

So now that you have been given the scoop on all the hottest short hairstyles for women in 2011, I hope that this little bit of information has helped you with choosing a brand new trendy style to fit your personality perfectly. After you have searched online and in magazines for pictures of what you like, it is time to head over to your hairstylist to get your summer diva thing going on with the trendiest short hairstyle for you. I will see you there ladies, in my POSH!

By Sherry Brister

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FOUR Easy Tips to Whiten Your Skin

Before you read the following content, you can take a look in the mirror. Maybe you will find that your current skin color is a little darker than the spring time. As the temperature is higher and higher gradually, what we wear exposure our skin more and more. Lots of girls are worried about the problem of skin color. They want to know the methods or tips to whiten the skin color even in the hot summer. As a girl who is also interested in this topic, I'd like to share some personal experiences with you.

1. Applying sunscreen

Well I have to say that applying sunscreen is really significant. Sunscreen can protect your skin from the sunburn. Perhaps some people will think that sunscreen just has the function of protection, but can't whiten the skin directly. Let's just imagine if you didn't apply sunscreen for the whole summer, at the end of the summer you are definitely darker than in the beginning. By this simple comparison, some of you will understand the importance of applying sunscreen.

2. Drinking plenty of water

Some people will doubt is there any relationship between drinking water and whiten the skin. Well we all know that water is so important to our body and skin. Water balance is the basic element for maintaining beautiful skin. If your body can't get enough water or always in a state of hydropenia, your skin will become dry and the secretion of sebaceous gland will reduce. So your skin will lose elasticity, even wrinkles will be caused due to hydropenia. Thus when you want to whiten your skin, the basic work of skin care should be done well too. And drink plenty of water is the basis for skin care.

3. Making use of lemon

We all know that lemon is rich in vitamin C. And vitamin C can promote metabolism,postpone aging, whiten your facial speckle and shrink the pores. According to the research, lemon can reduce the incidence of skin cancer. In other words, lemon is very important to keep our skin healthy and white. The easiest method is adding several slices of lemon in your drinking water and persists for a period of time. Then you will surprise to see the effect. You also can put the fresh lemon slices on your face to enjoy a comfortable and whitening mask. And you are suggested to have such mask in the evening as the effect will be better than in the day time.

4. Eating fish

Scientific studies found that eating fish three times a week can protect skin from ultraviolet's attack.Long-term fish-eating can provide people with a natural protection similar to the sunscreen and whiten your skin.

A large part of girls want to be whiter. And as long as we adopt the correct methods, it will not so hard to whiten the skin.

By Emma Clark

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Posted in: BEAUTY